


Black Friday

by Lady_in_Red



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Holidays, Shopping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-26
Updated: 2015-11-26
Packaged: 2018-05-03 13:08:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5292047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_in_Red/pseuds/Lady_in_Red
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jaime drags Brienne along on a post-holiday dinner shopping trip.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Black Friday

**Author's Note:**

> Forgive any formatting weirdness, posting on mobile from my family's feast.

Brienne yawned and leaned against the cart.

“You falling asleep on me?” Jaime asked, picking through a messy display of DVDs. Under the bright department store lights, he looked utterly out of place in his tailored grey slacks, the collar of his button-down popped open and his sleeves rolled up. A woman in faded leggings and a baggy t-shirt barreled past them, nearly hitting Jaime with her overfilled cart. He flipped her the finger without even looking up.

Brienne rubbed her tired eyes, annoyed to find smudges of eyeliner on her fingers. So much for waterproof and smudgeproof. “It’s been a long day."

“Ah ha!” Jaime pulled out a DVD and held it up triumphantly before dropping it into the cart. He fished a crumpled list out of his pocket and crossed off one item. “I did warn you. Next year we’ll stay home eating takeout and watching movies in bed.”

"Will you still drag me out shopping in the middle of the night?"

"You say that as if this isn't fun. Where's your spirit of adventure?"

She yawned again. "I think I lost it two stores ago, when that awful man tried to steal that game system out of our cart."

Jaime scowled. "Some people have no respect for the rules." He grabbed the end of the cart and started tugging it down the aisle toward electronics. "Just one more thing and then we can go."

Brienne sighed with relief. Her feet were killing her and the waistband of her skirt had been digging into her skin since dessert (molten chocolate cakes dusted with real gold, of course). She just wanted to go home and sleep.

Just one more thing turned out to mean waiting in a line stretching from electronics, through books and movies, cutting across the aisle and meandering through the baby and toddler clothes.

Brienne was too tired to care about appearances by then. She dumped her modest black heels into the cart, steadfastly ignoring the prickly feel of the commercial carpet under her bare feet, and started picking idly through the racks. A penguin pajama set and matching cap dropped into the cart for a coworker's new baby, along with two books Brienne had been meaning to read and a documentary on exploring shipwrecks for her father. The line slowly inched its way up toward the counter where two harried-looking clerks were handing out boxes.

Jaime, meanwhile, kept dashing off to gods knew where, returning with a glow-in-the-dark soccer ball, three pairs of garish sneakers in various sizes, and finally a necklace sporting twinkling holiday lights. There wasn't really any room left in the cart, which had become increasingly difficult to steer.

When he disappeared again, Brienne wrestled her phone out of her tiny, useless purse. Why women’s skirts couldn’t have pockets, she didn’t understand. 1:24 a.m. Between the four hours driving to and from the Lannister country estate, the unsubtle interrogation from Jaime’s relatives before dinner, and the glasses of wine she’d sipped to keep her anxiety at bay, Brienne was exhausted. Shopping was a chore for her at the best of times, and this was swiftly approaching the worst of times.

A shopping bag dropped into the cart, and Jaime's arms wrapped around her, his body pressed against her back. "You're hating every minute of this, aren't you?"

Yes, her sore feet and grainy eyes agreed. "I'm tired, Jaime. And you know I'm not much of a shopper."

He nuzzled her neck, and Brienne saw a woman three carts ahead of them, jabbering away on her phone, shake her head and wrinkle her nose in disgust. The feeling was mutual. The woman's cart was half taken up by a little girl sleeping in a pile of doorbuster deal fleece pajamas.

"This isn't shopping," Jaime answered, his voice low and his breath hot on her neck. "This is hunting. I know what I want, and nothing is going to stop me from getting it."

She shivered, both aroused and annoyed that he could make fighting over the last half-priced tablet with a guy in a pie-stained T-shirt sound sexy.

"I got something for you, for putting up with me," Jaime added, poking at the bag. "Open it."

"You don't need to buy me things, I thought we'd been over this." He’d sent her a massive bouquet last week as part of his relentless campaign for her to attend tonight's dinner with him.

"Just open it. I swear you'll like it."

Jaime was right. The bag held a set of incredibly soft flannel pajamas. The coat and pants were black with silver and white helmets of some kind sprinkled across the fabric. “What’s this for?” she asked.

He released her and pushed their cart forward a few steps. “Well, there’s a bathroom up front by the registers. I already paid for those. If you want, you could change, get a little more comfortable.”

Brienne bit her lip, contemplating whether she could really wear pajamas in public. While she considered it, three young women in low-slung fleece pants and tight, bedazzled T-shirts walked by, laughing and chatting happily. They were wearing fuzzy slippers, no make-up, and sloppy ponytails.

“Okay, but I need you to do one thing for me,” she conceded, burning with embarrassment. “Could you unhook the back of my skirt? I usually turn the skirt around to do it, but it’s way too tight right now.”

Jaime chuckled. "You know, this isn't really how I pictured getting you out of this skirt."

"You're the one who insisted on shopping instead of going home," she reminded him. “We could've been in bed hours ago, and shopped tomorrow. Or next week."

Jaime’s fingers brushed her lower back as they worked free the hook that fastened the skirt above the zipper. “No way. This is what I do. You get the best deals this way.”

Brienne shrugged. “So what? It’s not like you don’t have money. You sent me that ridiculous bouquet last week. That must have cost more than you’re saving here.” Especially because it was wildflowers -- from Tarth. She wasn’t sure how he managed that at this time of year.

He dropped a kiss on the nape of her neck. “You’re missing the point, sweetling. It’s not about the money. It’s about _winning_.”

Brienne rolled her eyes. There was the competitive nature that had made playing cards with his cousins and nephews so uncomfortable a few hours ago. It never occurred to Jaime that making his nephew cry by making sure he ended up holding half the deck wasn’t exactly good sportsmanship.

Thinking of Tommen reminded her of something that had been bothering her. The contents of their cart, and the back of Jaime’s Range Rover, were far more than he could possibly intend to give to his family and friends. She turned around to face him. “Jaime, who exactly are we shopping for here?”

He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “My family. Some others.”

Brienne only had to cross her arms and glare at him for a moment before he folded.

“Pia volunteers at a women and children’s shelter. She told me she was going to try to buy some things off the kids’ wishlists, so I asked to see the list,” Jaime said, hesitant and a bit flustered.

And Brienne instantly understood. “You’re buying the entire list, aren’t you?”

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

“The last store on your list is a toy store, isn’t it?” she guessed.

He nodded. "There's this giant teddy bear--"

“Jaime, _no._ You do realize we’re barely going to be able to fit this stuff in the car, much less a giant teddy bear, right?” Brienne actually had real doubts even this stuff would fit.

Jaime looked away. “Peck is meeting me there with a truck.”

“You made that boy work a holiday?” she squeaked.

“Oh come on, he volunteered,” Jaime protested. “Peck’s desperate to impress Pia. And I’m paying him double, in cash. Uncle Kevan wouldn’t let me use company money for something like this.”

He sighed. “Look, I can drop you off at your place. It’s on the way to the toy store.”

Brienne considered it. She was exhausted, true, but those pajamas looked really comfortable, and if she helped him they could be done faster. Besides, she didn't really want to sleep alone. She took his hand. “No, I’ll go. On one condition.”

He cocked one eyebrow. “What?”

She struggled to hold back a smile, and dropped her voice low. “When we get home, we’re going to sleep. For as long as we want. And when we wake up, I want coffee and pumpkin pie for breakfast in bed.” She squeezed his hand. “No interruptions. You’re mine tomorrow. All day and night.”

Jaime grinned and pulled her in for a kiss. “That might be the best deal I get tonight.”


End file.
